We’ve seen mathematical pencil constructions in past Math Mondayscolumns. (Why go to the hardware store to buy dowels with all those shiny pencils just sitting there in the office supply cabinet waiting for someone to make things with them?) Here’s a lovely new design by Cory Poole. It is a five-pointed star assembled from eighty pencils.

There are five identical 16-pencil units around a central axis. Two units are shown below, before assembling. Each has the form of a hyperbolic paraboloid based on a four-edge cycle from a regular tetrahedron.

Gareth Branwyn is a freelancer writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor for Boing Boing and WINK Books. And he has a new best-of writing collection and “lazy man’s memoir,” called Borg Like Me.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Cory-Poole/785715986 Cory Poole

I call it “Standardized Testing And Reporting.” (STAR for short)

http://profiles.google.com/michaeledlavitch Michael Edlavitch

Have you seen the 175 free online math games at hoodamath.com? Check them out http://hm.gs

Tad Tiboni

I always buy my office supplies online because the price is cheaper. ”